Genetic Evidence Supporting the Repurposing of mTOR Inhibitors for Reducing BMI
<b>Background:</b> Although mTOR has long been regarded as a promising target for cancer treatment, the efficacy of mTOR inhibitors in most clinical trials has been rather limited. Nevertheless, their favorable safety profile has opened up opportunities for drug repurposing, even as thei...
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/13/4/839 |
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| author | Ping Peng Fan Shen Bi Peng Ziqi Chen Lei Zhou Xingjie Hao Yuanhui Liu |
| author_facet | Ping Peng Fan Shen Bi Peng Ziqi Chen Lei Zhou Xingjie Hao Yuanhui Liu |
| author_sort | Ping Peng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <b>Background:</b> Although mTOR has long been regarded as a promising target for cancer treatment, the efficacy of mTOR inhibitors in most clinical trials has been rather limited. Nevertheless, their favorable safety profile has opened up opportunities for drug repurposing, even as their potential applications across various diseases remain largely unexplored. <b>Methods:</b> We performed an MR-PheWAS analysis across 1431 phenotypes to explore drug repurposing opportunities. We analyzed GWAS data of 452 plasma metabolites, 731 immune traits, and 412 gut microbiota to uncover potential mechanisms for the causal link between the mTOR gene and body mass index (BMI). <b>Results:</b> A causal link between mTOR gene expression and BMI has been established. Additionally, mTOR-related vulnerabilities associated with BMI, including alterations in metabolites, immune traits, and gut microbiota, were identified. <b>Conclusions:</b> The identified causal relationship between mTOR and BMI suggests novel potential non-cancer applications for mTOR inhibitors. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8d57bc38fa77442db07a5961cc872d4e |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2227-9059 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biomedicines |
| spelling | doaj-art-8d57bc38fa77442db07a5961cc872d4e2025-08-20T02:17:20ZengMDPI AGBiomedicines2227-90592025-03-0113483910.3390/biomedicines13040839Genetic Evidence Supporting the Repurposing of mTOR Inhibitors for Reducing BMIPing Peng0Fan Shen1Bi Peng2Ziqi Chen3Lei Zhou4Xingjie Hao5Yuanhui Liu6Department of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, ChinaNursing Department, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, ChinaDepartment of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, ChinaDepartment of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, ChinaDepartment of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, ChinaDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, ChinaDepartment of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China<b>Background:</b> Although mTOR has long been regarded as a promising target for cancer treatment, the efficacy of mTOR inhibitors in most clinical trials has been rather limited. Nevertheless, their favorable safety profile has opened up opportunities for drug repurposing, even as their potential applications across various diseases remain largely unexplored. <b>Methods:</b> We performed an MR-PheWAS analysis across 1431 phenotypes to explore drug repurposing opportunities. We analyzed GWAS data of 452 plasma metabolites, 731 immune traits, and 412 gut microbiota to uncover potential mechanisms for the causal link between the mTOR gene and body mass index (BMI). <b>Results:</b> A causal link between mTOR gene expression and BMI has been established. Additionally, mTOR-related vulnerabilities associated with BMI, including alterations in metabolites, immune traits, and gut microbiota, were identified. <b>Conclusions:</b> The identified causal relationship between mTOR and BMI suggests novel potential non-cancer applications for mTOR inhibitors.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/13/4/839mTOR inhibitorgenetic evidencerepurposing opportunityBMI |
| spellingShingle | Ping Peng Fan Shen Bi Peng Ziqi Chen Lei Zhou Xingjie Hao Yuanhui Liu Genetic Evidence Supporting the Repurposing of mTOR Inhibitors for Reducing BMI Biomedicines mTOR inhibitor genetic evidence repurposing opportunity BMI |
| title | Genetic Evidence Supporting the Repurposing of mTOR Inhibitors for Reducing BMI |
| title_full | Genetic Evidence Supporting the Repurposing of mTOR Inhibitors for Reducing BMI |
| title_fullStr | Genetic Evidence Supporting the Repurposing of mTOR Inhibitors for Reducing BMI |
| title_full_unstemmed | Genetic Evidence Supporting the Repurposing of mTOR Inhibitors for Reducing BMI |
| title_short | Genetic Evidence Supporting the Repurposing of mTOR Inhibitors for Reducing BMI |
| title_sort | genetic evidence supporting the repurposing of mtor inhibitors for reducing bmi |
| topic | mTOR inhibitor genetic evidence repurposing opportunity BMI |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/13/4/839 |
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